Bookselling For Dummies

Foreword. Introduction. About This Book. Conventions Used in This Book. Foolish Assumptions. How This Book Is Organized. Part I: The Joy of Bookselling. Part II: Managing Your Product. Part III: Selling Books and Serving Your Customers. Part IV: Running an Efficient Small Business. Part V: The Part of Tens. Icons Used in This Book. Where to Go from Here. Part I: The Joy of Bookselling. Chapter 1: Getting a Little Help from Your Bookselling Friends. Joining the American Booksellers Association. Reaching across Your Region. No Book Burning! Taking a Stand on the First Amendment. One More Resource: This Book. Redefining your mission. Seeking new (and keeping existing) customers. Taking a hard look at your categories. Effectively managing your inventory. Selling books: Merchandising, improving traffic, and handselling. Building a Web site. Managing employees. Doing taxes and keeping financials. Chapter 2: Business Planning 101: Redefining Who You Are. Assessing the Bookselling Business Environment. Mission Possible: Your Store's Mission and Vision. Crafting a mission statement. Envisioning your future. Identifying Your Store's Strengths and Weaknesses. Determining Your Goals and Objectives. Sketching Out a Business Plan. Chapter 3: Figuring Out What Customers Want. Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All about You. What are your customers like? Tracking and targeting customers intelligently. Getting ABA's help. Looking for a "Need"--le in a Haystack. Figuring Out Why You're Not a Customer's Cup of Tea. Are You Outstanding in the Field or Standing Out in Left Field? Not just lip service. Selection: Giving 'em what they want. Location, location, location. The price is right! Part II: Managing Your Product. Chapter 4: Deciding What to Sell. Understanding Various Book Categories. Fact or fiction: Books for grown--ups. Children's books. Computer and technology books. Business books, professional reference books, and textbooks. University and small press books. Travel books and foreign--language books. Local books. Used books. Remainders. Keeping an Eye on Your Categories. Grow the category. Shrink the category. Eliminate the category. Making the Most of Sidelines. Chapter 5: Buy the Book: Where to Find Books and Other Products. Frontlist Buying: Ordering from Publishers. Working with sales reps. Going through telemarketing reps. Making a co--operative effort. Ordering from Wholesalers. Getting Used to Used Books. Finding Remainders of the Day. Choosing Up Sidelines. Chapter 6: Taking Stock: Managing Your Inventory. Making Sure That Your System Works for You. Reordering: What, How Much, and How Often? Knowing what to reorder. Knowing how much to order. Knowing how often to order. Accepting Deliveries and Keeping Your Stockroom Efficient. Making Happy Returns. Part III: Selling Books and Serving Your Customers. Chapter 7: Setting the Mood: Your Store's Ambiance. Establishing a Motif. Deciding How to Display Your Products. Placing merchandise on shelves, by category. Displaying merchandise on tables and free--standing units. Merchandising Your Cash--Wrap Area. Chapter 8: Getting Customers in the Door. Generating a Buzz. Advertising within your store. Sending announcements and newsletters. Taking advantage of free publicity. Utilizing paid advertising. Staging Events. Author appearances. Kids' events. Book clubs and reading groups. Authorless events. Off--site events. Communing with Your Community. Establishing your store as a community meeting place. Developing sponsorships and not--for--profit partnerships. Joining business groups. Developing partnerships with other retailers. Tapping into Book Sense. Chapter 9: Understanding the Gentle Art of Selling. A Friend in Need ... Acting as a maitre d. Acting as a problem--solver. Acting as an expert. Acting as a psychic. Acting as a tour guide. Acting as a matchmaker. Acting as a friend. Assuring Repeat Business. Taking Advantage of Additional Sales Opportunities. Special orders. Institutional sales. Chapter 10: Creating an Online Presence. Unleashing the Power of a Bookshop Web Site. Developing a Cool Web Site. Recognizing the Drawbacks. Making Sense of BookSense.com. Marketing Your Site. Shipping and Delivering Goods. Part IV: Running an Efficient Small Business. Chapter 11: Hiring and Retaining Employees. Describing the Ideal Employee. Finding Mr. or Ms. Right. Putting yourself in your employee's shoes. Making bookselling a viable career option. Offering meaningful benefits. Interviewing effectively. Dividing the Pie: Sharing Responsibilities. Training Your Employees. Evaluating Performance. Chapter 12: Paying the Tax Man. A Little Bit on Every Sale: Retail Sales Tax. Taxes on Employees: Withholding. Knowing which taxes to withhold. Understanding how often to pay. Making your deposits. Filing forms. Deciding how much to withhold. Paying SUTA. Taxes on Profits: Corporate or Individual. Chapter 13: Using Financial Statements Effectively. Making a Statement about Operating Expenses. Identifying the major components of a P&L. Using a P&L to improve your business. Striking a Balance with a Balance Sheet. Going with the Flow: Cash--Flow Projections. Part V: The Part of Tens. Chapter 14: Ten Ways to Get More Customers through the Door. Getting Involved in the Community. Holding Socially Meaningful Events. Offering a Unique Experience. Opening Your Door(s). Giving Your Store a Face--Lift. Maintaining a Web Site. Giving Customers an Incentive. Serving Your Customers. Cultivating Word of Mouth. Putting Yourself in Your Customer's Shoes. Chapter 15: Ten Ideas for Lowering Costs. Partnering Up. Taking Advantage of Co--op Money. E--mailing Your Newsletters and Event Invitations. Setting Up a Sale Rack Special. Analyzing Your Spending. Buying Your Building. Controlling Your Inventory. Keeping Track of Shipping Costs. Conducting a Shift Analysis. Making Sure Your Community Services Serve You, Too. Chapter 16: Ten Ways to Motivate Employees. Helping Your Employees Share Your Mission. Trusting Your Employees. Empowering Employees to Help Customers. Matching Employees with Their Interests. Offering a Generous Discount. Sharing Publishers' Perks. Sending Employees to Trade Shows. Arming Employees with Information. Giving Immediate Feedback. Paying as Well as Possible. Chapter 17: Ten Reasons Why Bookselling Is the Best Job Ever. Surrounding Yourself with Books. Surrounding Yourself with Booklovers. Working an Interesting Day with a Variety of Tasks. Developing a Relationship with Customers. Being a Part of the Larger Bookselling Community. Feeding People's Passions. Becoming a Cultural Meeting Place. Spreading Information to the Smallest Towns. Watching Kids Get Lost in Books. Changing Customers' Lives. Index.